Pocaloca

Some "puti-clubs" have been closed in Andalucia because of this and because they have been used for drug smuggling as well. But it isn't illegal to run a "club" because the owner isn't officially pimping, i.e. directly profiting from prostitution. The girls just rent rooms there.

megmet

Another project on hold is the link road from Coin that will hopefully one day join onto the A357... making access to the coast much quicker for those of us living in the Guadalhorce valley.
It was started over four years ago but nothing has happened there for some time!
The only work to be done on it now takes place for just a few days following highly publicised protests from the locals, after the last one they worked for a few days putting some re-enforcing stones on the incomplete roundabout section, then work stopped once more.

Lynn R

On a smaller scale, we have a Contemporary Arts Centre awaiting opening here in Velez-Malaga, whilst the tranvia between here and Torre del Mar stopped running in June (without the second phase of track, which had been built but never opened for about 3 years, ever having been used). The local bus service which has replaced it is hopeless and everybody is complaining about it.

But wasting public money either on things that nobody wants or that never get finished, or through sheer incompetence, is by no means confined to Spain. The tendering fiasco for the West Coast Main Line will cost the British taxpayer an immediate £40M and if the First Group take legal action because of having the contract taken away from them, it could run into hundreds of millions of pounds. And that's only the latest in a very long line of expensive failures, from Governments of both political complexions. None of them seem able to run the proverbial in a brewery.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ing-money.html

johnnyone

I agree with that but the degree of incompetence does seem much greater in Spain than the UK. If not incompetence then it's vanity projects that in my book are just as bad.
It shall be interesting to see whether in the UK or Spain what the repercussions are on the people that waste our money.

Probably early retirement on a full pension!

jackytoo

Of course it's not confined to Spain, remember the Dome However whats your point....it's a Spanish forum!

There does seem to be more of these pie in the sky projects in Spain. I think they have been discussed on a national level before, eg. airports with no flights, fast rail links with 4 punters onboard etc.

Lynn R

But at least they exist - not £12BN totally wasted on a computer system that never even got off the ground, for example.

I will remind you that this is a Spanish forum next time you are singing the praises of something in the UK, then! Won't have long to wait judging by past form.

jackytoo

I never start the daft comparisons, just respond

Dick Dasterdly

Yes, it has been the odd case, for publicity only I imagine.

About 30 or more years ago almost all the prostitutes operating in Spain were said to be Spanish.
Now almost all those operating under the umbrella of organised crime have been illegally trafficked in from foreign countries.

Prostitution may be legal but trafficking certainly isn't and operating openly on such a widespread scale it's hard to believe the authorities aren't turning a blind eye to much of it or else getting a nice little cut of the proceeds.

jackytoo

I was once lost on the industrial estate in Málaga....what an eye-opener A woman every few metros and some wearing only panties despite a cold January day. Most were black. Some had lit fires to keep warm so the Police must turn a blind eye, they were so in your face!

chrisjolly

I agree the police should put out those fires in the poligono. They are such a Health and Safety risk in an area full of combustable materials.

Relampago

The New York Times can go to hell. It doesn't understand its article about Spain, unless it is not for another thing that to discredit and to dirty the image of Spain, and to condition the economic power, since the New York Times only see a sector of the Spanish society, and what is worse, that image of poverty can find it in New York and in many cities of United States. For example, New Orleans

The difference is that a poor person in Spain can eat and to be assisted sanitarily. In United States, simply dies of hunger. But is the worst thing, mainly our disastrous political class, that is not even able to elevate a protest, and more being an ally of United States. I ask, having this class of friends, for what to have enemies? They, those that caused this brutal crisis

****ing yankees

jackytoo

BBC is doing a few reports on Spain's plight. Yesterday on radio 4 they covered Morrocans living in chabolas in madrid. The local Mosque is feeding about 100 of them every day. Most worked in the construction sector but their dole has now run out. This morning on BBC TV they were interviewing 4 Spanish men in their 20's who have come to work in the UK. Said there are now 77,000 Spaniards officially in the UK.

Domino

and at least 10 times that number of Brits in Spain, running businesses, on the black etc etc, but we will never know how many there really are as not everyone wants to register their presence. Hence the difficulty in trying to find people who disappear for "legal reasons" from the UK.

Domino

Really it is the same as many projects that have had UK Lottery Funding, they get the money to start up the charity, even get money to buy a mini-bus or three. But UKLF doesn't cover maintenance or running costs. Look back at those who have received quite large sums in the early days and see how few are still with us - many of those they were helping have now been supported by another 2 organisations since then.

steviedeluxe

I saw that report on the Beeb - I'm fairly sure it was at a Galician place at the foot of Portobello Road - a good eating place btw I can recommend it! I wonder though if the Spanish heading towards London may face resentment from local youth who constantly get put to the back of the queue for jobs:
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/work/...e-8156404.html
Of course it's nothing new in the capital to see employers ignore local job-seekers and instead employ what they see as better-qualified and motivated migrant workers - we've seen that with the Poles. But expect to see riots again next year as Dave's govt press ahead with further cuts to benefits (note I approve of those cuts, but only if jobs are genuinely made available).